


At World's End

by CalledMyHappiness



Category: NU'EST, SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:20:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26439391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CalledMyHappiness/pseuds/CalledMyHappiness
Summary: It was just an ordinary work day for both Seventeen and Nu'est, or so they thought. With busy schedules, shoots to go to, flights to catch, there was hardly any time to think about anything else. They had their entire career ahead of them and their adoring fans by their side. They had it all, until the entire world literally came crashing down.Now they only have each other, their wits, and the will to survive.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	1. The Beginning of the End

It was 9 in the morning and all Mingyu wanted to was to go back to sleep. If it wasn’t for Jeonghan literally pulling him out of bed, he wouldn’t have made it out of the dorm and into the vans waiting for them in the parking lot. Their flight to New York was in a few hours and the managers were already rushing to get everyone into the vanss and off to the airport. In only a few days, they’d be kicking off the American leg of their world tour. The months of preparations leading up to this took a toll on his body but as tired as he was, he had to admit he was pretty excited.

He stuffed himself into the row right behind the passenger seat. Beside him, Wonwoo was busy guzzling down his second cup of coffee for the morning which Mingyu hastily snatches from him. Mostly because he knows Wonwoo won’t be able to get any rest on their 14 hour flight but also because he knows he needs the caffeine to survive the crowds waiting for them at the airport. He looked back at Vernon who was already fast asleep, some foreign rock song blaring through his head phones. The manager closed the door and climbed into the driver’s seat, signaling that all the members were now in their respective vans and ready to leave. Their luggage was already sent ahead with staff and was waiting for them at the airport.

The hour ride to the airport gave them enough time to go over the general itinerary and voice out last-minute details they wanted to include before they land in New York and dive straight into rehearsals. Seungcheol was in the passenger seat, typing notes into his phone while simultaneously going over details with their manager. Overall it was a pretty standard trip to the airport. Mingyu got used to it over the years. It was just another ordinary day.

Or so he thought.

It happened quickly. One minute Mingyu was drifting off to sleep, listening to a mix of Seungcheol discussing schedules with the manager and Vernon’s weird rock music, and then next the ground beneath them shook violently. Wonwoo was knocked out of his seat and if Vernon and Mingyu didn’t have their seatbelts strapped in, all of them would've been toppling over each other. Around them, buildings began to shake. Mingyu helped Wonwoo strap himself back into his seat while their manager was screaming through the radio, instructing the two other cars to floor it and follow him. Everything was a blur as their manager zipped through the streets, the two other cars carrying the other members following in pursuit.

At that point, all he could do was freeze. Everywhere around him, buildings were crashing down, cars crashing into each other, people running around aimlessly. He turned to face Wonwoo who was now in a fetal position with his hands behind his neck. Vernon was screaming and Seungcheol was screaming back telling him to keep quiet. 

The earth never stopped shaking as his manager expertly zipped through the chaos. Mingyu thought at this rate, they were all surely goners but somehow, they managed to reach the airport. All this time, the managers were screaming instructions to each other through the walkie talkies. 

They managed to make it to a field surrounded by jet hangars. Mingyu deduced that they must have been at the farther end of the airport, where all the private planes were parked. As soon as he tried to attempt to make sense of his surroundings, the door of the van swung open. Manager Lee, who was driving the Vocal Team van yelled at them to get out. 

Without hesitating, all of them leapt out of the van, not even bothering to close the door behind them. They ran without knowing where to run to. He found the vocal team members running ahead of him, equally scared and confused as they ran towards a hangar the managers were directing them to. Wonwoo and Vernon managed to catch up with his stride. He looked back to see if Seungcheol managed to get out but he wasn’t behind them and he didn’t remember him running ahead of him. At this point the ground stopped shaking but there was no telling how long the calm would last. Mingyu stopped in place and screamed for Seungcheol but didn’t get an answer back. He ran back before Vernon can stop him. He sprinted towards the van while Jeonghan who heard the commotion ran back to drag a stunned Vernon to the hangar. As he got closer to the vans he ran into Jun and Soonyoung who had a slightly limping Minghao holding on to them for support.

**Jun:** Mingyu what are you doing! go to the hangar now!!

**Mingyu:** I couldn’t find Seungcheol Hyung so i ran back!

At this point, Jeonghan managed to catch up.

**Jeonghan:** Mingyu what do you think you’re doing! Go back now!! Why I— Myeongho! what happened to you??? Why are you limping???

**Minghao:** Hyung I’m okay but right now we have to get to the hangar! Please theres no time to waste!!

**Jeonghan:** Alright. Jun, Soonyoung, bring him to the hangar. The others are waiting. Mingyu if you ever run away like that i swear I— what in the world…

What used to be the Performance Team van was now a crumpled mess. It was a miracle they made it this far. Mingyu turned around to see what Jeonghan was so shell-shocked over and felt his knees weaken at the sight. While Jun and Mingyu brought Minghao to the hangar, Jeonghan and Mingyu ran towards the heap. There they saw where Seungcheol ran too. He was helping the managers lift something. What they saw next was something they never hoped to see in a million years. Dino, who was sitting in the back row, now lay on the floor of the car, unconscious and trapped under a dislodged seat. It took the managers, Seungcheol, and Mingyu to free Dino, who was losing blood rapidly from a large gash on his leg. In one sweep, Mingyu picked Dino up and carried him bridal style. All of them ran towards the hangar and met the horrified faces of the other members.

**Woozi:** What in the world?!?! what happened???

**Minghao:** While we were driving, a large piece of debris fell from the building and landed on the back part of the van. Good thing manager Hyung managed to take control of the car again but the car was badly damaged.

**Soonyoung:** We were pretty sure we wouldn’t even make it out of there. It’s a miracle we managed to get here at all. 

All of them huddled around the entrance of the hangar unsure of what was happening. They stood in total silence for what seemed like forever until they were startled by the loud roar of a jet. 

**Manager Jeon:** No we can’t leave yet!!! They’re almost here!!

**Manager Lee:** We don’t have much time! Have you seen what was happening out there! Who’s to say it won’t happen again. If it does, we’re all goners! 

As Manager Jean kept on pleading, a plane started pulled out of the hangar next to them and drove out to the runway.

Just then, a large black van sped towards them and skidded as it came to a sudden hault.

**Manager Jeon:** Oh thank God!!! Okay everyone get ready we have to leave as soon as the plane door opens.

The doors of the black van slammed opened and out came the Nu’est members and their manager. 

**Mingyu:** Hyung!!! What??? how??? Did you have a flight too??

**Baekho:** Nope, not at all!! We were on our way to Incheon to film when suddenly the ground started shaking. Luckily we were in an open field so we weren't in danger of falling debris. Our manager managed to get a hang of yours before the lines cut off completely and we were told to get here.

**Minki:** What happened?? Why is Myeongho limping?? What happened to Dino?? What—

**Manager Lee:** there’s no time to explain, everyone on the plane now!!

The doors swung open and a small ladder descended. Mingyu picked Dino up and ran into the plane. All the other Seventeen and Nu’est members hurriedly filed in. The managers took one last head count before closing the doors. Mingyu set Dino down on a row of chairs at the back of the plane and the managers did their best to staunch his wounds. 

Mingyu slumped in his seat. Caffeine from the coffee he swiped from Wonwoo this morning mixed with adrenaline was making his heart beat twice the usual rate. He looked around at everyone sporting equal looks of fear and confusion but no one daring to speak. He looked at Dino, who thankfully stopped bleeding and was starting to gain color back on his face again. He looked down at himself, his shoes and shirt stained with blood from Dino’s wound. Jonghyun noticed this and lent his jacket to help hide the stains. 

Just then, the ground began to violently shake once again and the plane struggled to keep stable. The plane roared forwards, and ascended. Mingyu looked out the window and saw the ground below them crumble. If they were mere seconds late, it would've swallowed them whole. He froze once again, and all he could do was stare as the world around them broke down. Seungcheol saw this and ordered everyone to close the windows. For what seemed like hours, they all sat in silence with only the occasional sniffle breaking the silence. 

They all looked disheveled but really Mingyu was glad they were all still alive and together. He slumped back against the hard, metal siding of the plane, too exhausted to think about anything else. All-in-all he was glad they were all still together and just as glad that he snatched Wonwoo’s coffee when he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first full story so I'm not sure how well it'll go but I love dystopia stories and had a lot of fun writing and conceptualising this! Thank you for reading it :) Feel free to leave me a comment if you wish. Thank you and have a lovely day!


	2. Luck is on my side

Kwak Aron was a man who relied largely on his wit, logic, and strong will. Leaving home and giving up a slot in one of the most prestigious universities in the world to travel halfway across the world in pursuit of his dreams would forever be on of the boldest risks he would ever make. Through all of this, he counted himself a lucky man. He was lucky to leave when he could, that he entered the company when he did, and met the greatest team and brothers anyone could ever have the chance of meeting. His decisions and unusually long streak of luck lead him to where he was. Shining bright on stage. Now that he sat on a random plane sandwiched between his members who looked rather pale and disheveled, but at the very least alive and unhurt, he began to thank his lucky stars even more. 

Across him, Baekho was trying his best to splint and bandage Minghao’s ankle. Minhyun sat still beside him, having said nothing since they fled the filming site and Ren just wouldn't stop crying. He was supposed to do something, he thought to himself. But now all he could do was sit and stare. His wit, logic, and strong will seeming broken down along with the ground they once stood on.

He mostly felt sorry. That they left the filming site without even trying to bring all the other staffalong. That even though he was the oldest member in his group, the pressure always fell largely on Jonghyun to lead them. That even in this situation, all he could do was sit and stare as Seungcheol and Jonghyun shuttled around trying to help their teams and whoever else needed it.

He got up and head to the back of the plane trying to see if there was anything he could do to help. He found bottles of water which he started to pass around. Aron took one bottle and headed over to Minhyun who’s lost expression was starting to worry him.

**Aron:** Minhyun-ah. You’re here okay. You’re alive we all are. Let’s focus on that.

Minhyun stared at him and gave a quick nod as a response but said nothing more. Aron took this as a good sign at least. Ren, who has now stopped crying and was now quietly sobbing just looked at the floor. Aron held his hand and led him to a vacant row of seats and told him to take a quick nap. _We’ll be landing soon. Best to sleep when you can._ , he whispered. 

He lied. he didn’t know when they would land or where they were even going. For a couple more hours, Seungcheol, Jonghyun and their managers were deep in conversation. Aron would join in sometimes but felt he couldn’t contribute much and left them to converse. He spent the majority of the trip shuffling between the Seventeen and Nu’est members, helping in any little way he can. 

After a few moments, the plane started to descend as Manager Lee headed over to the cockpit to see what was going on. He came out a few minutes later to inform everyone that they’ll be landing soon. Everyone strapped themselves in and got ready. Aron sat beside a window, daring to lift it and was awed by what he saw. Outside his window, a vast landscape filled with mountains and rice paddies began to take shape.

Aron finally let himself relax and almost instantly, felt the rush of exhaustion take over. His mind flooded with thoughts he fought to kept at bay. He got so far through sheer will, and talent. But he began to think that maybe luck played a bigger part after all. 

Luck got them to Incheon today of all days, near enough to the airport that they managed to get there on time. Luck gave him the sense to wear running shoes instead of the loafers he usually does. Luck gave him the opportunity to do the variety show they were guesting on with all his members when usually only Jonghyun and Minhyun get booked. It led them to where they are; together and alive. And for that he was strangely thankful. That for once he didn’t rely solely on his wit and talent. 

Kwak Aron sat in a plane, with his fellow artists who were like brothers to him who somehow managed to escape one of the worst cataclysmic events that could’ve easily taken all their lives. He thanked the lucky stars that luck never left his side. And with that he closed his eyes as he felt the plane descend and roll across the rough gravel.

They landed in the middle of nowhere. Somewhere in the Nagano Prefecture of Japan, Manager Lee informed them. The doors opened and the managers descended first. Then slowly everyone else started to exit, all still rather traumatized to be on solid ground like it might break open at any moment. Jeonghan stayed behind to watch Dino, who still hasn’t regained consciousness but at least has since stopped bleeding. 

On a normal day, they would’ve been leaping with excitement. They landed in an area that was completely surrounded by mountains that look like they came straight out of a National Geographic Magazine. Somewhere nearby, a river flowed calm and serene, like they weren’t violently thrashing around just hours before. 

They stood there, careful to stay clear of tall trees in case the ground shakes again and they get pinned if they fall. Ever since they left Seoul, there wasn’t much conversation going on between the boys. They still couldn’t wrap their heads around what was happening, how they even got the plane, and what the next steps to take were. Everyone was in a daze. After a few minutes of looking around, Aron was the first one to snap back into reality and speak up. 

**Aron:** Can anyone explain why we’re here and how we got here? I get that nothing makes sense but how in the world did you get a private plane?

They all looked back at Manager Lee, who looked just as disheveled but didn’t share the same confused faces as the others. He sat on the steps of the plane and buried his head in his hands and began to speak.

**Manager Lee:** Before I became a manager, I trained a bit in the military in the Air Force unit. The Pilot was my bunkmate and good buddy. I got injured which forced me to leave my military days for good while Myungsoo up there went on to become a commercial pilot. We were supposed to meet up for a while until this whole fiasco happened. I was on the phone with him when the first shaking happened and he instructed me to meet him at the hangar. I called up the other cars and I knew the Nuest team was close by too. Honestly it was all a blur I don’t know what happened after that.

They stared at Myungsoo, their pilot who was standing silently off to the side. He had a strong stature to himself, maybe it was because of his time in the military but amidst everything, he stood straight, seemingly unfazed.

**Aron:** Okay but that still doesn’t explain where you got the plane??

**Myungsoo:** Oh that? I stole it.

The boys stepped back in horror. Myungsoo still stood with a stoic expression on his face and detailed how he managed to get an entire plane and fly them all to safety. 

**Myungsoo:** Well technically I didn’t completely steal it. The company scheduled me to check up on the plane, see if it still ran smoothly. That was why I was in the hangars that day. I called your manager to check what time we’ll be meeting and just in time, the ground shook. I don’t even know where the owner is now but judging by the destruction back there I don’t think he had a good chance of making it. I landed here because we need to refuel but it looks like a safe place to bunker down for a while.

**Aron:** Uhm..thanks for saving us i guess.

Everyone else stood unsure. Several nodded their thanks in return, but others were unnerved with the military man’s stoicism. Seungkwan gently tugged on Aron’s sleeve and whispered to him.

**Seungkwan:** Hyung what if he’s here to kidnap us? Look at him he could be a serial killer for all we know. I mean who talks about stealing an entire plane and his boss being possibly dead and still have a calm look on his face?

**Aron:** I know and I understand how you feel. But right now we’re all alive because of him so let’s just be wary okay. Keep a low profile until we can figure things out, okay?

He gave the younger boy a quick smile and instructed him to go check if anyone needed help. The managers then left to scope the area and find food or anything that could help. The others either went back into the plane or dispersed into the nearby areas. Aron was just about to hop back into the plane when he noticed Jonghyun sitting under a tree looking up towards the sky. He walked towards where he was sitting, careful not to startle him.

**Aron:** Hey there. You alright?

As he got closer he realized why Jonghyun was looking up. Jonghyun looked to Aron, eyes already brimming with tears he was struggling to hold back.

**Jonghyun:** Hyung…Hyung what do we do now?

He always seemed to forget that Jonghyun was the younger one. That despite everything, how strong and well-put together he was, Jonghyun was still a normal boy in the peak of his youth. He realized he was so busy taking care of everyone else that he forgot to ask Jonghyun if he needed help too. He just always assumed Jonghyun would be fine.

He took a seat on the grass beside him, acting as a barrier between Jonghyun and everyone else. 

**Aron:** No one can see you now. It’s just you and me. We’re safe for now and from where I’m sitting I can still see them. So Jonghyun-ah. I got it from here okay. 

Just like that, everything Jonghyun fought to hold back came rushing out. In a matter of seconds Jonghyun transformed from the strong charismatic leader who, despite the world literally ending, managed to corral his team and make sure everyone was alive and safe to the normal young adult he was supposed to be, scared and confused at what’s happening around him

Aron sat stoically, not saying a word, quietly shooing away the concerned boys who approached to ask why Jonghyun was crying. 

20 minutes passed before either spoke again.

**Jonghyun** : I’m sorry hyung, I guess I’m just tired. 

**Aron:** Then be tired Jonghyun. You don’t have to stay strong forever. I’ll take it from here okay. The past few hours have been scary and you’ve done so well taking charge. why don’t you head on in and take a rest. By the looks of it, we’re all going to need as much energy as we can muster and you’ve already used up way too much of yours. Go ahead, I’ll take it from here. 

After much reluctance, Aron finally got Jonghyun to rest up and take a nap after which he set off to find and check up on his other members. He ran into Ren who was sitting with Seungkwan, both apparently put on time out by Baekho after they wouldn’t stop arguing. Minhyun stood off to the side with some of the other Seventeen members still unsure of what to do. Aron took it upon himself to approach Seungcheol who he noticed was starting to wear down as well. He took a mental note to alert the others of this later. A small group was organized to search the nearby town for food, shelter, or any information about the situation. With much fuss, Aron managed to convince Seungcheol to stay behind under the guise to “take care of the injured and the younger ones who needed more guidance” but really it was so he could get rest before he breaks down even further. 

Aron, the managers, Baekho, and a couple of the older Seventeen members then set off on foot towards the nearest town to try and see if they could find anything that could help. Now more than ever did Aron need to rely on his wit, strong will, and logic. The world was slowly ending and he felt that luck just wouldn’t cut it anymore. 


End file.
